DOS and Controllogix

I have a Winsys Embedded Systems PCI card running DOS with an Intel pc-104 ethernet card. I need to get a program or source code to compile a program that will send messages to an Allen Bradley 1756 ENBT (100 words sent and recieved) through an ethernet hub. Does anyone have any idea how to do this?

The ENBT card understands Ethernet/IP. If the system that you want to communicate to it does not use that protocol, then you could investigate using the EWEB module and using sockets.

I have drivers and such for the tcp/ip protocol, so that's not a problem. I can ping from it and see all computers and the ENBT on my mock network, and I cna ping from my computer and get a reply from the system. What I need now is a program or advice on writing a program for dos that will communicate with the ENBT.

tcp/ip is not Ethernet/IP protocol.

The ENBT only communicates Ethernet/IP.
The module that you would need to communicate tcp/ip from a non-Rockwell product is the EWEB.

Ah, I see. I believe the packet drivers I installed (www.crynwr.com) include the Ethernet/IP protocol because when I load them the card automatically assigns itself a BOOTP address. I was loading an extra TCP/IP packet thinking that was necessary to communicate.

Take a step back.

Rockwell Automation uses an application protocol that they call "EtherNet/IP". Capital N, with the "IP" indicating "Industrial Protocol".

It's an application-layer protocol, the same way that HTTP, FTP, and Modbus/TCP are application layer protocols. It has specific functions for the transfer of I/O data and controller memory between controllers and devices, as well as between controllers and computers.

You can learn about the protocol in a couple of places:

http://www.odva.org
http://www.rockwellautomation.com/enabled/guides.html

I think that this project is a little bit more complex than you realize. You may wish to take the approach suggested earlier and use a 1756-EWEB module, which accepts the more generic open socket and XML interfaces.

Are you building a system for mass production, or is this a Quantity One special application ?

Quantity One special. Unfortunately I'm pretty new to this kind of thing, but since I have a reputation around here for getting things done my boss like to hand me these impossible projects out of the blue.

We've looked at several ways to do this, and the only reason we're going with DOS is because the rest of the software we want to use is in DOS and would take to long to redevelop for Windows (I'm going to install all this the 4th of Feb.)

Also, since the commpany is supplying their own PLC and software for it everything I use is going to have to be based on the DOS system, with the exception of a few possible changes to the PLC program that can be done in the time it takes to install (I have to fly out of state and will only be there a short amount of time).

Mainly I was looking for a DOS program that could chat over ethernet with a 1756 ENBT, even if it was simple, because we could modify the program to get the results we want. There's also the possibility of getting other cards (profisoft from Woodhead was one I believe) which will communicate between a DOS system and a Controllogix system, but we were trying to get away without buying another card if we could.

The EtherNet/IP protocol is a very complex protocol and will be quite a challenge to do in DOS. Here is a web site with some open source code written for Linux that can give you an idea:

http://www.rongage.org/

I have an older version of the EtherNet/IP spec that I can email to you if you send me an email address in a Private message.

There is no way you can write custom Ethernet/IP driver in 10 days, so ENBT is out of picture.
But there is a good chance you can get data to logix contoller in less than day if you buy 1756-EWEB.
You still need basic understandidng of TCP/IP communications, but RA has many technotes available.
Start with TN 32962 - it gives you basic understanding of EWEB socket object and simple handshaking programs.

As mentioned above, building a EtherNet/IP protocol stack is a major endeavor(IMHO), and you'll have a hard time finding up to date documentation w/o cost, which I think is sad. If you must use Ethernet, here are few options that might be easier:

1. Use the DF1 port on the ControlLogix processor along with an Ethernet serial server, or a pair or servers if they don't have DOS drivers. Digi, Lantronix, BB Electronics, Moxa all make them. Once the serial port is redirected, you can write/use normal DF1 code. Archie has some VB Windows code available, I have a C library for Linux. Both are available at sourceforge.net. Of course there are also numerous commercial products for this too. I don't recall any that will run on DOS, but the products written in C may be somewhat easily ported.

2. Get a Prosoft DF1 module and see #1.

3. Get a Prosoft MVI56-ADMNET and create your own application to communicate via Ethernet. I would probably avoid this because it requires both the purchase of an additional module and the most code to be written.

mamcspadden said:

but since I have a reputation around here for getting things done my boss like to hand me these impossible projects out of the blue.

Click to expand...

^That's Funny^

I work with ol' junior here and what we changed to " because working with DOS was just going to be impossible" is using a program called ethernet/IP virtual I/O. Only thing is I have no idea how set it up on either end. Any Idea's?

I would try something simpler. A TCP/IP driver will take 32K. A EtherNet/IP driver will take another 10K. Do you have enough memory for this? You have only 640K.

You don't have multitasking either.

I would be looking at using a serial port and DF1.

Peter Nachtwey said:

I would try something simpler. A TCP/IP driver will take 32K. A EtherNet/IP driver will take another 10K. Do you have enough memory for this? You have only 640K.

You don't have multitasking either.

I would be looking at using a serial port and DF1.

Click to expand...

The card we're using accually has 2gigs of memory. We are going to load windows on it and run this virtual I/O program.

If you're going to run Windows, get a DF1 link and try out Archie's VB DF1 stuff:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/abdf1/

Jason Valenzuela said:

If you're going to run Windows, get a DF1 link and try out Archie's VB DF1 stuff:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/abdf1/

Click to expand...

Don't want to pull new cable. Ethernet is already available